He smiles. “I frighten most people,” a sinister spark flashes across his eyes, “but I never wish to frighten you, love. Trust me.”
And for some odd reason I do. I trust him implicitly—a man that I hardly know.
“You really are serious, aren’t you?”
A malicious grin forms. “Deadly.”
I shiver. I don’t know if it is from the cool air or the threatening undertone but oddly I can’t make myself feel uneasy.
He leans in and kisses me chastely then folds out of bed.
“Where are you going?” I say trying hard to hide my disappointment.
He turns and my breathing actually hitches when I catch a glimpse of his body bathed in the early morning light. His thick black hair is tousled around his face and his violet eyes reflect in the amber rays making them glow. My eyes move down and my mouth runs dry. His perfectly chiseled chest is completely bare of hair and the deep olive tone makes the definition of his muscles clearer. Then I rove lower and burn with blush as I take in his size. My cheeks are on fire. He is still partially erect and I am amazed that it had fit inside me.
By the time my eyes make it back up his glorious torso and past his big broad shoulders I meet his eyes and he has an amused look covering his face.
“It’s yours anytime you want it, love.”
I smile. “Ok, I’ve decided I want it now.” I say almost whispering.
He wastes no time covering my body in the bed and showing me how perfectly he does fit me.
An hour later I am lying against the enormous plush pillows staring at the ceiling satiated and blissfully happy.
A few moments later he strolls into the room, his hair still wet from the shower. He has on a light gray suit with a crisp white shirt and a deep crimson tie. He looks otherworldly.
He walks over to my side of the bed and I sit up bolt right slapping my hands over my face “Oh my God! I can’t believe I forgot! I have to get ready for work.” I throw the covers back but before I can swing my legs over he is already caged over me.
“Lie back.” he purrs. “As of today you are officially on vacation, beautiful. Relax. Renita will bring you breakfast shortly.” He kisses me hard on the mouth and straightens his frame.
I snort. “I can’t go on freaking vacation the second day of my job!”
“I assure you, you can and have.” He flashes a bright-white-all teeth-exposed smile. “I’m the boss, remember?”
I just stare at him blinking rapidly. He brushes his hand across my cheek and starts from the room.
I come back to earth. “What about breakfast? You won’t join me?” My voice is low and sad.
He pauses briefly and turns; an anxious look passes over his face. “I’m running behind and I need to wrap a few things in the office before we set out, I’m sorry.”
I nod.
He tilts his head to the side. “Decide where you would prefer to go and when I return we will embark on, what will inevitably be, a remarkable journey.” He smiles and turns on his heel disappearing through the doors.
Once he’s gone and the haze has cleared from my brain, the enormity of the situation crashes down on me. My parents are going to kill me if I up and fly off with Khai hardly knowing him. Then they will castigate me for being so irresponsible about my career. And perhaps they are right to do so.
I bury my face in my hands and hastily stand from the bed. I jog to the bathroom and take a quick shower then dress in my old clothes.
I have to get out. I can’t stay here. He makes me do irrational things—make choices I would never have entertained before.
Slipping on my shoes I grab my purse from the side chair and turn for the door. Just as I reach for the handle the door swings open and he stands there with a lost look on his face.
“You were going to just leave me? Just walk away?” His voice grows harsh.
I stare down because if I look into those piercing violet eyes I will cave. “I just can’t do this, Khai. I’m not the kind of person you will end up with and I need to protect myself now before I fall too deep for you.” I slowly capture his gaze. “I just don’t know how I would survive something like that.” I whisper.
He rests his forehead against mine. “You were made for me, Adonia. It’s only ever going to be you and me. Forever.” He vows.
I close my eyes and feel the first string of hot tears spill down my cheeks. His words sound sincere. But I know, in the bottom of my heart that I am not the kind of person that ends up with someone like him. He’s the entire package and I am nothing.
He wipes my tears with his thumbs. “Hey.” He says softly. “Perhaps words won’t elucidate my feelings but maybe actions will. I will show you that for me, it’s only you and will ever be.”
I let my head fall onto his shoulder as I feel the last remaining uncertain thoughts fade away.
He relaxes his tense shoulders and pulls my face to his. “Do you trust me?” He asks.
I nod. “Yes.” I breathe then his lips are on mine and all trepidation is swept away with his kiss.
Finally he pulls back staring into my eyes, his face softening. “I recall purchasing a great many pieces of clothing for you last night.” He smirks as he eyes my frayed sweater. “Are you trying to tell me I need to call Mena and ruin her day? Because I can tell you I don’t relish another encounter with that woman.”
I laugh at his lighthearted distraction. “Good grief. Ok, I’ll change.” I turn for the rack of clothes then call over my shoulder, “Anything in particular you’d like me to wear?”
He grins wide. “Start with those delicious panties and let me watch you work your way up.”
My jaw drops and I blush to my hairline. He leans against the door and folds his arms across his chest, waiting.
I clumsily fumble through the mass of clothes and land on a pair of designer jeans and a tight fitted camisole covered by a beautiful cream blazer.
Hurriedly, I pull on my pricy underwear and then slip into my jeans unnerved by his burning stare. Finally I get the camisole in place and tuck my arms into the sleeves of the deliciously smooth cashmere blazer.
He stands there drinking me in—every last inch before he finally meets my gaze and shakes his head. “It’s criminally unfair for you to be so alluring. It makes me have such iniquitous thoughts.” He murmurs and I feel the sensation go straight to my groin.
He is absolutely consuming me. Heart, mind and soul—I am hopeless.
He pushes off the wall and comes to a stop in front of the countless boxes of shoes. His fingers rove over the piles and come to rest on a long black box. He lifts the lid and pulls out a knee high mahogany stiletto boot. It is stunning but my eyes automatically go to the deathtrap attached to the bottom. I will break my neck in those things.
He chuckles. “I’ll never let you fall, love.” And he saunters over taking my hand and leading me to a side chair. He sits me back and kneels in front of me gripping my foot then rubbing his long fingers in solicitous strokes across my heel then the pad of my foot. My head falls back against the headrest and my eyes seal shut. It is pure heaven.
Then he places my foot in the arch of the boot and pulls the zipper up my calf. And I am treated with the same delicious treatment to the other foot.
I am pretty sure my feet are Jell-O by the time the second boot is zipped high. He pulls me up. “So, where will the wind take us today, love?”
It’s all happening so fast. My mind is a whirlwind of activity trying to digest the relationship forming here, separating my new job from the equation and actually leaving the country on a trip to a foreign land with a man I hardly know.
In all honesty any woman with warm blood pumping through her veins would have warning bells blaring and a sense of self-preservation, but me, I am spellbound and already head over heels. Sadly, I know deep down that it has never really been up to me, my heart made that decision when I first peered into those bright violet eyes.
A victorious smile greets me when I steal
a glance at his face. I can’t help but to grin back because I feel myself light up within when I sense his happiness. I realize I will do anything to make sure he is pleased and contented.
“How about Venice? It’s been a dream for me since I was a little girl, the gondolas and the ancient buildings under water. It seems so resilient yet magical and romantic.”
“It is all those things and I want to be the person you experience it with. Come, let’s go.” He says excitedly.
I pull on his hand as he begins our retreat from the bedroom. “Wait,” I say a little panicked, “I need to call my parents, my brothers—let them know that I am leaving.” I run my hands through my hair trying to gather my wits because he has me scattered all over the damn board.
He steps in and cups my face. “Minor details we can take care of on the way.” And he begins pulling me again.
I am grinning from ear to ear as we nearly run through the apartment. I giggle, “I guess I’ll wear the same outfit our entire stay? We have no clothes, Khai!” I finish almost laughing.
He never slows. “We may not even need clothes, love.”
My sex clenches at the thought and I am suddenly anxious to get to Venice and stay holed up in a room over looking the city, window propped open letting the salt air waft in and him lying next to me in all his Adonis glory—naked. By the time that vision drifts from my mind I am fanning my face as we run.
He shuffles me into the car and pulls me close to his side. “Jet.” He snaps at the driver.
Seconds later we are whizzing down the streets of the city headed for the airstrip. I grab my phone and try to fight back the wave of hysteria just bubbling under the surface.
My parents are going to flay me and the thought of my brothers makes me want to vomit. I can hear it now as he screams in his NYC police detective voice, “What is holy fuck are you thinking, Andie? Do you know what happens to girls that do stupid shit like this? I’ve seen my share of dead bodies to know it doesn’t end well.” I’ve heard that line more times than I can count.
My hands begin to tremble and Khai squeezes my fingers. “Trust me when I say, there is no place safer for you on this planet than with me.” He smiles and I sigh. I just can’t find a feeling of foreboding with him. He soothes me.
We ride in silence for a long while before he leans close to my ear and murmurs, “Andie, huh?”
My eyes widen. No one outside my family calls me that. It was a joke between my brothers that my parents wanted another son and they ended up with me so they pinned me with that name since I was able to walk.
He grins and taps his temple. “Just extremely perceptive, love.”
We pull in front of the plane at the private airstrip. I’ve never seen anything like it. It is sleek and white with Garai etched into the metal along the body near the wing. Two men are stationed at the bottom of a set of stairs leading to the cabin. They greet us as we approach and Khai nods slightly before ushering me up the stairs first keeping a firm grip around my waist.
When I step over the threshold I stare in wonder. There are several sets of luscious leather seats facing one another spread sporadically with varnished maple tables centering them.
He gestures to a set close to the rear. I turn and smile to him before I pad across the steel gray carpet. We sink into the chairs and a painfully beautiful attendant appears at the table.
She eyes me territorially for several moments before she speaks, “Mr. Garai, lovely to service you again. May I start you off with a beverage before we take flight?”
I catch the vitriol in her tone and the undercurrent of a past tryst possibly? Immediately I begin to feel used and cheap. How many were there like me? Does he take all his conquests on trips and have his way with them before he moves on to a newer version?
He pins her with an icy look. “Perhaps you should address my lovely companion first. We’ll be having whatever she wishes.” He snaps, his tone matching the frostiness of his eyes.
I gape at him.
She blinks rapidly as she stutters, “O-of course, s-sir.” She turns her arctic blue eyes on me. “What would the lovely lady prefer today?”
“Uh…I—champagne?” I murmur almost questioningly.
She plasters a fake smile to her face. “Certainly, Miss. I’ll have that right out to you.” Her tone is clipped and she walks stiffly back to the front cabin.
He leans in, his elbows resting on the table. “I have never brought another woman on this jet nor anywhere with me for that matter. You are the first and the only, Adonia.”
I smile then drop my eyes to the table trying desperately to gain my composure. I sigh, “I really need to call my family, they’ll be frantic.”
He nods. “Please use the office in the back—it will give you privacy.”
“Ok.” I murmur and stand; cell phone clutched tightly in my hand and make my way through the other spots of chairs and down the short hallway.
A door is sealed shut at the end. I walk to the threshold and test the handle. It’s unlocked so I slowly swing it open. A beautiful high glossed cherry table sits facing the entrance with several computer monitors angled around the center.
There’s a white leather sofa running the length of the opposite wall and two dark wood chairs facing the desk. Two flat screen TV’s hang on the wall across from the desk. A Series of financial numbers and stock information scrolls up the screen, muted.
I walk to the sofa and take a deep breath as I touch the button and her name bounces across the screen.
Two rings later, “Adonia! What on earth are you doing making personal calls on company time?” She shrieks.
My heart’s beating in synch with a hummingbird’s wing. “I…uh,” I have no idea what I am going to say. Right now anything that comes from my mouth is going to spin her into a cyclone.
My mother, Polona Kostas, came straight off the boat when she was twelve. You just don’t mess around with my mom—she will impale you with her stare alone much less her poignant way with words. It’s downright chilling.
I can feel her bristling through the receiver. “About that mom. See, my new boss is uh, well, we’re actually on a plane right now, on a business trip.” I whisper hoping she didn’t hear me.
“YOU’RE WHAT?” She screams. “What kind of a business trip?” Her seething words are raised in octave.
I sit there unsure of what to say. But she cuts in again. “Who is this boss and where is he taking you?” She bellows.
My voice is meek and trembling when I reply, “Venice. His name is Khai Garai and he owns the company, momma.”
Her sharp intake of breath signals the onslaught of punishment I am getting ready to receive. “Get off that plane this instance, Adonia Rheia.” Her tone is acidic and not to be argued with.
“But mom, I can’t.” I plead.
I am coming to drag you off myself then.” She spits.
Just then the door opens and Khai walks in with a look of irritation. He simply reaches for the phone and takes it from my trembling fingers then places it to his ear.
He speaks fluently in Greek for several minutes. They exchanged a couple of barbs back and forth before he slides the lock and places the phone on the desk.
“There, all settled. Now come back before your champagne gets warm.” He reaches for my hand and I stare into those violet depths as I grip his fingers.
“But…how…?” I sputter.
He laughs. “Actually, your mother is very similar to me. We agreed to disagree but she understands my position now. You are not off the hook by any means but the threat of her alerting Interpol has been thwarted.”
He laughs to himself and pulls me back to our seats. We drink in silence for the next hour. I am desperately trying to regain a modicum of composure.
Finally the champagne calms my nerves and I begin to feel a bit more relaxed. “How long do we have?”
His beautiful lips stretch slightly as he runs his tongue along the lower half and a slick trail of glistening
moisture mesmerizes me as he speaks. “About six more hours.” He reaches for my hand and brings it up to his lips. “I have a few calls to make. It seems the loose ends I meant to tie this morning were left unresolved as I tried to convince my beloved mate not to flee.” He kisses my knuckles. “I’ll be in the office if you need me.” He winks and bends down to place a kiss to my shocked open mouth before he lithely strolls around the corner.
He just said, beloved…
CHAPTER SEVEN
KHAI
“Yes. Call the board and begin preparations. I want to meet next week.” I place the receiver back into the plastic holder and search for her thoughts. Clips of me undressing her flashes across my eyes and I begin to stir.
I stand from the chair and walk to the cabin. Her beautiful face is partially obscured by her long black hair. Her delicate eyelids twitch rapidly as a smile plays on her lips. She’s dreaming of me.
I want her comfortable. I walk over and gently scoop her from the chair placing her head against my neck as I carry her to the sofa.
She never stirs as I place her onto the cushions and brush her hair across the pillow. She is the epitome of beauty.
I pour myself a brandy and sink into the chair facing her as she slumbers comfortably and dreams of only me.
Being enclosed with her delectable scent however is causing the dry burn to roar up my throat. My muscles are coiled into anticipation and the ache seeps into my gums around my teeth. I need to feed as soon as we land.
The incensing attendant ambles into the cabin and flaps her threaded eyelashes at me. “We’ll be landing in twenty minutes, Mr. Garai.” The rumble of the purred tone she tries to achieve makes me want to tear into her carotid and watch her eyes drain with life.
She wisely turns on her heel and stalks back to the front. I reach forward and touch her full lips then stroke the pale lids over her eyes that are etched with tiny blue veins. She wakes and smiles widely. I can see her corneas dilate and work to focus her vision.
“I trust you had a restful sleep.” I smile. “I believe your dreams were quite colorful, yes?”
The Last Vampyre Prophecy Page 8